Gas burner assembly



Jan. 20, 1959 I Jfs. ZINK GAS BURNER ASSEMBLY Filed March 28, 1956 INVENTOR JOHN S. Z/A/K Q MLL ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,869,631 GAS BURNER ASSEMBLY Application March 28, 1956, Serial No. 574,471 Claims. (Cl. 158115) The present invention relates to a gas burner and ignition means therefor including a member carried by the burner head which serves during ignition of the burner to facilitate kindling of the gaseous fuel supplied thereto and tion of the burner and the invention pertains to a burner assembly wherein ignition may be established from a position remotely of the burner head.

An object of the invention is to provide a burner head for a gaseous fuel mixture and kindling means in association therewith whereby the fuel mixture may be ignited by means of a flame front and parts of the kindling means serve to shield the burner head and promote stable burning as long as a fuel mixture is supplied to the burner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a burner assembly wherein weep ports are provided in the burner head for the escape of a minor upstream of the burner tip and a hood member carried by the burner head for confining the fuel escaping through the weep ports where it may be ignited and the burning gaseous material within the hood member serves to promote stable operation of the burner.

It is now the practice in various industries and particularly where hydrocarbons or other inflammable raw materials are handled or processed to dispose of such materials'by burning. The combustion of dump gases is desirably accomplished in the atmosphere and at significant elevations above grade levels and at the top of flare stack burners. The wind currents and other weather conditions tend to make it diflicult to maintain combustion of the gases at the upper end of flare stacks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a burner assembly which will serve as a pilot for flare stack burners which may be initially ignited from a position remote of the top of the flare stack and to provide a pilot burner assembly which is virtually impossible to extinguish as long as a combustible fuel mixture is supplied to the pilot burner even during weather conditions which adversely affect combustion at the top of a flare stack.

Other objects and features of the invention will be appreciated and become apparent as the present disclosure proceeds and upon consideration of the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description wherein an exemplary embodiment of the invention is disclosed.

In the drawing: a

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a burner assembly and ignition means therefor embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view through the tip of the burner head.

view taken on the line 3-3 of The present invention is directed to a gas burner and the ignition means therefor which is useful for a number of purposes and the combination has particular utility as a pilot and more specifically a pilot for flarestacks which are desirably ignited from the ground level and wherem stability of operation of the pilot is highly important. The invention is directed to a burner head and ignition means therefor wherein parts of the ignition means in cooperation with the burner head serves to maintain kindling of the gaseous fuel mixture supplied to the burner head.

Referring to the drawing there is shown at 10 a cylindrical shaped burner head having a discharge tip 11. The hollow burner head 10 is connected to and may be supported by a conduit 12. In the embodiment illustrated the elongated burner head 10 is disposed with its axis at an obtuse angle with respect to the axis of the conduit 12 and at an acute angle with respect to a vertical plane and while such a mounting provides advantages as hereinafter developed the burner head may be arranged in alignment with the conduit 12.

Gas under pressure of one pound per square inch and at greater pressures is supplied through a pipe 14. The gaseous fuel is permitted to escape through a discharge orifice (not shown) in a mixing device 16. The escaping gas induces air to move into the mixing device 16 in the'direction of the arrows 17. The gas and air is mixed in the tubular guide member 18 and the mixture of gas and air passes into the conduit 12 of larger cross sectional area through a pipe fitting 19. The air and gas mixture is thus supplied .into the burner head 10.

A major portion of the gaseous fuel mixture escapes through a centrally disposed discharge opening 21 in the burner tip 11 and smaller quantities of the gas escapes through the discharge ports 23 and 24 arranged in annular rows about the periphery of the central discharge opening 21. e axes of the discharge ports 23 and 24 are such that they converge towards each other as shown in Fig. 5 whereby the gaseous fuel mixture issuing from these ports intermingle at 25. The burner head 10 is also provided with a plurality of weep ports 26. These ports are spaced from each other lengthwise of the burner head 10 and may be arranged in alignment as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Some of the gas-air mixture supplied into the burner head 10 escapes through the weep ports 26.

A feature of the invention pertains to the provision of a hood member 27 in position overlying the weep ports 26 and spaced from the periphery of the burner head 10. The hcod member 27 may be U -shaped in cross section and is mounted on the burner head 10 so as to cover the weep ports 26 and to provide a chamber 28 into which the gas-air mixture escaping through the otherwise attached to member 27 is of arcuate formation at 29 to provide a discharge opening 31 which directs the discharge from the chamber 28 angularly over the tip 11 of the burner head It). The other open as shown at 32.

The gas-air mixture escaping through the weep ports 26 is momentarily contained in the chamber 28-and may be ignited by any suitable means. The ignition may take the form of a flame front system which includes a pipe 33 which may extend to remote location and is adapted to be filled with a stoichiometric mixture of gas and air. The stoichiometric gasand air mixture flows from the point where it is supplied into the pipe 33 so as to dis-' charge into thechamber 28 the pipe 33. When the pipe through the open end 34 of 33 is filled the stoichiometric end of the hood member 27 is gas-air mixture is ignited inside the pipe 33 by any suit- (not shown). ignition of the stoichiometric mixture produces a flame inside the pipe 33. This flame moves through thepipe mixture as a front of flame.

As the front of flame emerges through the open end 34 of the pipe 33 it ignites the fue'i'mixture in the chamber 23 as supplied'through the weep ports 26. The burning ofthe fuel mixture proceeds upwardly through thechamber 28 to ignite'the gaseous'fuel issuing through the angularly 'disposedports 23 and The gases burning in the areas ZSturntowards the tip and ignite the fuel rnxture escaping through the large central discharge opening 21.

The hood chamber 27 serves to promote stable burning of the gaseous fuel mixture escaping through the weep ports 26 after the operate-n of the flame front ignition means has been interrupted. The burning of thegases at the burner tip ii is extremely stable and the gaseous fuel escaping through the weep ports 26 continues to provide rekindling of the burner tip. The flame at the tip 11 is virtually impossible to extinguish. In actual practice efforts have been made to extinguish the flame at the tip 11 with carbon dioxide type of fire extinguisher and with large streams of water and with blasts of air of more than sixty miles per hour but such efforts did not bring about an extinguishrnent of the flame.

While the burner assembly and ignition means therefore is useful for a number of purposes it has a particular utility in serving as a pilot for a flare stack burner such as indicated at 51 in Fig. 1 which guides dump or waste gases to a position in the atmosphere for combustion at the upper end thereof. The angular disposition of the burner head 1% provides the advantage of the tip 11 being so disposed as to direct the flame over the open end of the flare stack to provide for ignition of the waste gases moving upwardly thereafter. Such disposition of the burner head it) further provides the advantage of the hood member being in position to exclude rain and snow from the chamber 28.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific structural features it will be appreciated that changes may be made in the elements as well as the general organization. Such modifications and others may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A gas burner assembly providing a pilot for operation at elevations above grade levels and exposed to weather conditions and wind currents from different directions comprising, an elongated cylindrical burner head with its axis disposed at an acute angle with respect to a vertical position, means for guiding a gaseous fuel mixture under pressure into a lower end of said head, a tip portion at the upper end of the burner head having a discharge opening therein for the escape of a major portion of the fuel mixture in a. direction along the axis of the burner head, an elongated hood member U-shaped in transverse cross section with its legs connected to circumferentially spaced portions of the periphery of the burner head to provide a chamber along the length of the burner head closed along sides thereof, said burner head having a plurality of weep ports spaced lengthwise therealong for the discharge of a minor portion of the fuel mixture therethrough into said chamber, said hood member terminating adjacent said tip portion and having an open upper end, an arcuate wall formation on the upper end of said hood member extending beyond the tip portion and converging towards the axis of said discharge opening, said hood member having an open lower end defined by the periphery of the burner head and the legs of the hood member, and a pipe extending into a lower end of the hood member partially closing the area between the periphery of the burner head and the hood member.

2. A gas burner assembly providing a pilot for operation in exposed positions above grade levels comprising, an elongated burner head adapted to be mounted in an erect position, means for guiding a gaseous fuel mixture under pressure into a lower end of said head, a tip portion at the upper end of the burner head having a discharge opening therein for the escape of a major portion of the fuel mixture, a hood member U-shaped in horizontal cross section having its legs connected to spaced perimeter portions of the burner head to provide a chamber closed along sides thereof, said burner head having a plurality of weep ports spaced lengthwise along the burner head for the discharge of a minor portion of the fuel mixture therethrough into said chamber, said hood member terminating adjacent said tip portion and having an open upper end, an arcuate wall formation on the upper end of said hood member extending beyond the tip portion and converging towards said discharge opening, said hood member between the perimeter of the burner head and said leg being open, and a pipe extending into a lower end of the hood member partially closing the area between the perimeter of the burner head and the hood member.

3. A gas burner assembly providing a pilot for operation at elevations above grade levels and exposed to weather conditions and wind currents from different directions comprising, an elongated generally upright burner head, means for guiding a gaseous fuel mixture under pressure into a lower end of said head, a tip portion at the upper end of the burner head having a discharge opening therein for the escape of a major portion of the fuel mixture, a hood member extending throughout the length of said head and spanning a portion of the perimeter and joined thereto providing a chamber between the burner head and the hood member closed along sides thereof, said burner head having a plurality of weep ports for the discharge of a minor portion of the fuel mixture therethrough into said chamber, said hood member terminating adjacent said tip portion and having an open upper end adjacent said tip portion, said hood member having an open lower end defined by the perimeter of the burner head and the hood member, and a pipe extending into a lower end of the hood member partially closing the area between the perimeter of the burner head and the hood member.

4. A gas burner assembly providing a pilot for the upper end of a flare stack burner comprising, a flare stack, an elongated burner head, an upright conduit connected to a lower end of said head at an obtuse angle supporting the head in position with its upper end directed towards the top of the flare stack and said conduit serving to guide a gaseous fuel mixture under pressure into a lower end of said head, a tip portion at the upper end of the burner head having a discharge opening therein for the escape of a major portion of the fuel mixture in a direction over an upper end of said flare stack, a. hood member having legs spanning a portion of the perimeter of the burner head to provide a chamber closed along sides thereof, said burner head having a plurality of weep ports for the discharge of a minor portion of the fuel mixture therethrough into said chamber, said hood member terminating adjacent said tip portion and having an open upper end adjacent said tip portion, said hood member having an open lower end defined by the perinr eter of the burner head and the legs of the hood member, and a pipe extending into a lower end of the hood member partially closing the area between the perimeter of the burner head and the hood member.

5. A gas burner assembly providing a pilot for the upper end of a flare stack burner comprising. an elongr ed burner head arranged in a generally upright posit means for guiding a gaseous fuel mixture under pressure into a lower end of said head, a tip portion at the end of the burner head having a discharge opening therein for the escape of a major portion of the fuel mixture in a direction over an upper end of said flare stack, a

hood member spanning a portion of the perimeter of the burner head to provide a chamber closed along sides thereof, said burner head lzaving a plurality of weep ports for the discharge of a minor portion of the fuel mixture therethrough into said chamber, said hood member terminating adjacent said tip portion and having an open upper end adjacent said tip portion, said hood member having an open lower end defined by the perimeter of the burner head and the hood member, a pipe extending into a lower end of the hood member partially closing 10 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

